KARACHI: Customs told to release controversial betel nut consignment
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 13: Justice Zahid Kurban Alavi of the Sindh High Court has directed the customs authorities to release the betel-nut consignments seized by them for use other than human consumption.
After hearing medical and legal experts and the counsel for the plaintiff importer and the customs, the judge observed in an order passed on Monday that it was agreed by all the parties that “the goods could not be consumed”. But, citing Supreme Court and SHC division bench judgments, he said the customs had a limited and well-defined role to play in connection with the import of items not fit for human consumption.
The seized containers, the order said, shall be cleared by the customs after due formalities and with an advance notice to the competent authority stipulated by the Pure Food Ordinance, 1960.
Under the supervision of the customs and food departments, the containers shall be taken to a specified warehouse where they shall be off-loaded in the presence of “joint independent surveyors.”
The surveyors, whose fees shall be borne by the importer, would give their findings on the goods, including their quantity and quality.
The crushing of betel-nuts into straw-dust would follow immediately and completed within a week. Offers may be solicited for purchase of straw dust for use in the manufacture of anything not meant for human consumption during the process of crushing.
EXPRESSWAY: Counsel for the petitioners who fear losing their leasehold properties due to construction of Lyari Expressway will see AG Anwar Mansoor Khan in his office on May 23 afternoon to sort out claims and counter-claims, a division bench of the Sindh High Court decided on Tuesday.
The AG earlier submitted certain proposals formulated by a meeting arranged by the city nazim on Monday.
The participants agreed to divide the petitioners into three categories. Bona fide leaseholders in settled areas be properly compensated and resettled; residents of unauthorized settlements who were conferred leases after their areas were notified as kutchi abadis be given plots of equal size subject to a maximum of two plots of 80 square yards each and paid compensation, ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 100,000.
Residents who presumably obtained leases by manipulation might also be given one plot of 80 square yards and compensation amounting to Rs 50,000.
The proposals were put forward by the expressway project director and approved by the participants.
The counsel would discuss them and the possible categorization of the petitioners with the AG in their May 23 meeting and submit their reports to the bench, which consists of Justices Sabihuddin Ahmed and S. Aslam Ali Jafri.
Earlier, the AG produced pictures of the area developed for the displaced persons.
He said the government had offered “an unprecedented package.” The government was treating the resettlement of the DPs as a “national project.”
All facilities, including pucca roads and running water, were available, in the residential complex developed for them, the AG said.
NOTICE ISSUED: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Syed Ali Aslam Jaffery, on Tuesday issued notice to the Army Welfare Trust, Director, Military Land and others for May 16, on a petition filed by the residents of Bizarta Lines, adds PPI.
Abdul Aziz and others prayed to the court to direct the respondents to remove gates from a link road, connecting the Rafiqui Shaheed Road, Karachi.
It was submitted that only one link road from said road was available to the petitioners to enter their locality where iron gates have been fixed at both sides and the residents of have been detained in the area.
He prayed to the court to remove the iron-gates from both sides of the link road.
PLEA ALLOWED: A division bench of Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Muhammad Moosa K Leghari and Justice Azizullah M Memon, on Tuesday allowed appeal of two and set aside life imprisonment awarded to them by the trial court in a drug smuggling case.
The division bench, after hearing arguments from both sides, allowed their appeal for reasons to be recorded later and ordered their release them if not involved in another case.
Meanwhile, the same bench also allowed appeal of Humayun and set aside life imprisonment awarded to him by STA court Karachi on May 23, 1992.
